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DASH CAM VIDEO: Sheriff’s Candidates React To Crashes Involving Benton Co. Deputies

BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) — Dash cam videos released by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office show two crashes involving Benton County deputies and civilian...

BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) -- Dash cam videos released by the Benton County Sheriff's Office show two crashes involving Benton County deputies and civilian vehicles.

The two incidents were mentioned in a memo sent to the Benton County Quorum Court by the police chiefs and mayors of Bentonville and Rogers. The memo expressed concerns about deputies driving recklessly and not communicating with city police departments when they are responding to situations within city limits.

DASH CAM VIDEO: Sheriff’s Candidates React To Crashes Involving Benton Co. Deputies

On Jan. 28, 2016 at around 12:40 p.m., former deputy Sean Chandler's response to a suspect who had stolen a vehicle out of Gentry resulted in a three-vehicle accident at 14th Street and Tunbridge Drive in Bentonville.

The dash cam video shows Chandler, who was driving an unmarked vehicle with his lights and sirens on, cross from the westbound lane on 14th Street into the eastbound lanes to make a left turn onto Tunbridge Drive when he hits two vehicles, jumps a nearby sidewalk and stops in the grass.

Bentonville police officers investigated the accident and determined Chandler was a contributing factor in the accident based on the manner of driving before and during the time of the crash. The investigation also showed the deputy was driving more than 100 miles per hour prior to the accident, however Keshia Guyll, spokeswoman for the Benton County Sheriff's Office, said the speedometer on the dash cam was malfunctioning, so Chandler was likely driving less than that.

Guyll said Chandler was never disciplined for the accident because he was terminated about a month later after he was arrested and charged with sexual assault and possession of child pornography. Police said Chandler was having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl.

DASH CAM VIDEO: Sheriff’s Candidates React To Crashes Involving Benton Co. Deputies

A separate accident on Dec. 16, 2015 was also caught on dash cam video.

The accident, which occurred just after 7 a.m., involved Benton County Deputy Donald Belland and a civilian vehicle. It also happened at 14th Street and Tunbridge Drive, according to the Bentonville Police Department investigation.

Belland was stopped in the inside westbound lane on 14th Street at a red light when the light for his lane turned green and he watched a car run the red light as it made a left turn from Tunbridge Drive onto 14th Street.

Belland activated his lights and siren as he made a u-turn from his lane into the outside eastbound lane on 14th Street to conduct a traffic stop. Eastbound drivers in the inside lane stopped to yield to Belland, but a vehicle in the outside, eastbound lane did not and ended up hitting Belland's patrol vehicle. The driver told police she did not hear a siren or see any blue lights when she drove through the intersection.

The Bentonville Police Department report states an officer reviewed video from a traffic camera at the intersection and found Belland briefly activated his emergency lights, but then quickly turned them off once drivers in the inside, eastbound lane yielded to him. An officer also reviewed dash cam video from Belland's vehicle, which contradicted his statement about having his emergency lights and siren activated through the whole u-turn maneuver.

The officer also noted the vehicles that stopped for the deputy blocked drivers in the outside, eastbound lane from seeing anything and Belland accelerated through the u-turn without leaving any opportunity for the other driver to brake to avoid the collision.

Bentonville police determined Belland contributed to the accident by failing to yield to the other driver.

Between those two accidents and another accident in October 2015 that involved three vehicles, the Bentonville police chief said there was an estimated $35,200 worth of damage between the three incidents.

Republican sheriff candidate Shawn Holloway said he's concerned about deputies' unsafe practices.

"As a deputy or police officer responding to something, you known you have to gauge the danger of the situation," he said. "Is the risk you are taking outweighing the benefit?"

Independent sheriff candidate Glenn Latham said he's concerned as well, but realizes not all deputies are being reckless.

"It's just a certain few, those who feel they can get away with certain things," he said. "99 percent of the deputies at the sheriff's office are good hard-working guys, who are following the law and doing what they are supposed to be doing."

In their memo, Rogers Police Chief Hayes Minor and Bentonville Police Chief Jon Simpson write that they want the next sheriff to address these issues.

"[The deputies] are not following the policy," Latham said. "The policy itself states that you are only supposed to go 10 miles an hour over the state-posted speed limit."

Holloway said solving the police chiefs' concerns is crucial to the sheriff's office's relationship with city police departments.

"This county is growing and growing and borders are disappearing between towns," he said. "If we want to protect our community and have a good working relationship it's imperative that we work together."

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